1. Field
The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for the processing of electronic transactions, and specifically, to the processing of electronic transactions using policy rules.
2. Description of the Related Art
The ability of educators, including educational institutions, private corporations, and institutions of higher learning, to reach potential students has generally been limited by geography. The advent of networked computers and communications has afforded a partial solution to these limitations. In particular, the widespread use and availability of electronic networks such as the Internet and the World Wide Web have made it possible for students and educators to overcome geographic dispersion and physical location as a barrier to education.
Many educational institutions offer network-based role-based access control (RBAC) systems available through these electronic networks that provide users access to different information, items, and areas based on those users' roles. Such systems allow a user to interact with the educational system in a number of different ways. For example, a user having a student role can purchase a textbook at a cash register connected to the network in the institution's bookstore, but will not be able to purchase an instructor's edition. As another example, a user having an alumnus role can access his transcript information via a web browser connected to the network. As a further example, a user having an instructor role can access a file room restricted by an access card device connected to the network. Each of these different users is associated with roles that correspond to their individual and often unique access levels. These roles are static, because if a role does not currently exist that matches a user's access needs, a new type of role must be created for the user. For example, if a user is a student at an institution but is also an instructor for certain courses, then a new role that combines both the access privileges of a student role and an instructor role must be created for that user. For institutions that have many users with varying access needs, the requirement of creating new role types for users can be burdensome.
Furthermore, institutions having several departments often have interface techniques that are greatly variable, based on personal preference and the subject matter being provided. Network-based systems that do not provide for a significant degree of customization are ill suited to address this need to accommodate diverse modes in a single system.